The Rays are now 2-1 on this, the second day of Spring Training play. Suffice to say, it was a nail biter of a game. Tampa Bay really showed up at the plate, scoring 10 runs on 15 hits, including a big two-run Mark Thomas blast in the 10th inning. Check out the box score and game highlights below.

Rays 2/24/13 box score (Courtesy of CBS Sports)

Rays 2/24/13 offensive line (Courtesy of CBS Sports)

Rays 2/24/13 pitching line (Courtesy of CBS Sports)

Game Highlights and Lowlights

Chris Archer’s first three pitches were all fastballs, registering at 93, 97, 96 on the radar gun. Archer looked good on the mound, hitting 97 on the gun multiple times. Archer needed 21 pitches to get through the first inning vs. Twins, but allowed only a walk, to Joe Mauer. According to his after game interview (below) he was working on his change-up and reportedly didn’t mind the higher pitch count.

Jake Odorizzi had an 18-pitch debut inning for Tampa Bay which was marred only by a walk.

Though Vogt went 0-22 last season at the plate, he hit a single and a double Sunday. Yeah I know you’re asking yourself, why couldn’t he do that last season?!

Juan Sandoval got himself into some trouble in the third, but he limited the damage. It bears mentioning, Sandoval is blind in his right eye.

Alex Torres looked shaky at first in the fourth inning. Though he stranded a man in scoring position after allowing a one-out double.

Leslie Anderson had another good day at the plate, hitting a pair of big hits for for second straight day. Anderson extended the lead to 6-2 with a two-run single in 9th, following that up with a 10th inning RBI base hit to give the Rays an 8-7 lead. Anderson now has five RBI after two days of Grapefruit League action.

The Rays and the Twins played an extra inning game on the second day of Grapefruit League action after Jimmy Patterson gave up a three run homer in ninth to Brandon Boggs. Patterson was inevitably pulled from the game and credited with five earned runs.

Mark Thomas crushed a two-run blast in the 10th to give the Rays a 10-7 lead.

This isn’t Rays news, but it’s big news nonetheless, Curtis Granderson fractured his right forearm after getting hit by a pitch Sunday. He’ll be out for 10 weeks.

Click the screenshot for a post game interview with Rays starter, Chris Archer.

Noteworthiness
Ben Zobrist, initially scheduled to play, is noticeably absent from today’s lineup. Zobrist said he’s fine, and the Rays suggested that he take day off between games. He wanted to play all week to prep for WBC.

PORT CHARLOTTE, FL – FEBRUARY 23: Kelly Johnson #2 of the Tampa Bay Rays fields the ground ball and throws to first base during the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on February 23, 2013 in Port Charlotte, Florida. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images)

The Rays ended their first day of Grapefruit League action with a 1-1 record, following a 3-2 loss at the hands of Pittsburgh and a 4-3 win against the Red Sox.

It’s kind of hard to note the good, bad, and argyle of the Red Sox game since it wasn’t on the radio, though we are pretty excited to see that Leslie Anderson drove in two runs while going yard, finishing the day 1-2 at the plate. Desmond Jennings also had a good day at the plate, going 2-2 with a run, while Jack Cust went 1-4 on the day.

Steve Slowinski of DRaysBay noted that Leslie Anderson,

Did hit the first homerun of the spring for the Rays…but in the field, I was less than impressed. He seemed awkward at first base and slow to react on grounders. Maybe it was just a bad game for him, but there’s definitely a reason Anderson has remained Triple-A fodder for so long.

Pitching wise, Alex Colome and Brandon Gomes both had good days on the mound, each going an inning and striking out a batter. Colome allowed a walk, while neither gave up a hit.

Box Score (Courtesy of Yahoo Sports)

Offensive line (Courtesy of Yahoo Sports)

Pitching Line (Courtesy of Yahoo Sports)

On the flip side of things, the Rays took a loss to the Pirates. Tampa Bay didn’t score a run until the eighth inning, following a Kiermaier base hit which drove in Weglarz and OF Rich Thompson. Thompson ended the day 1-3 at the plate, while Yunel Escobar and Kelly Johnson each had a hit.

Pitching wise, the Rays looked impressive early on, with Roberto Hernandez, Jeff Niemann, and Fernando Rodney each putting up 1-2-3 innings. Niemann and Rodney looked very impressive, with the tall righty striking out two while showing really good off speed stuff. Rodney struck out the side, shooting the moon as he made his way to the dugout. Enny Romero also looked sharp, going two innings and giving up a pair of hits, while working through a troublesome inning with a pair base runners without relenting a run. Recent acquisition, Mike Montgomery, had a rather tough outing, giving up five hits, a walk, and two runs (both earned) in the sixth.

Box Score (Courtesy of Yahoo Sports)

Offensive line (Courtesy of Yahoo Sports)

Pitching line (Courtesy of Yahoo Sports)

The Rays will take on the Twins tomorrow in a 1:05 game, in Ft. Myers.

David Price in the foreground, Roberto Hernandez on the mound. (Photo courtesy of Marc Topkin/Tampa Bay Times)

With Spring Training now in full gear, the Rays will see their first Grapefruit League action Saturday, taking on both the Pirates and the Red Sox in a pair of split-squad games. The Rays will not have an intraleauge game this week because of the split squad games. Slated to pitch against the Pirates are Roberto Hernandez and Jeff Niemann – two pitchers battling it out for the last spot on the rotation. Enny Romero will get the start against the Red Sox in Ft. Myers. Chris Archer, who’s also battling for a spot on the rotation, will get the start Sunday, with Alex Cobb and David Price following on Monday and Tuesday respectively.

Roberto Hernandez has apparently been impressive so far this spring, which could make the battle for the last spot on the rotation interesting. Rays skipper Joe Maddon was quoted as saying,

I love the quality of the seven or eight, whatever it’s going to be, I love the quality of the decision-making there. It’s going to be very difficult.

Hernandez is expected to stick as a long reliever, though a quality spring will make it very hard on Maddon to make a final decision. In all honesty, I think the final spot on the rotation is up for Niemann to lose. Chris Archer is ready, and hungry, for a spot, as are both Hernandez and Jake Odorizzi. A weak spring on Niemann’s part will, arguably, spell the pen for him.

In other news, according to an MLB Trade Rumors piece, David Price was quoted as saying that he “would love” to continue pitching for the Rays over the long-term, though the odds of the Rays retaining him over the long-term are nil at best. Price mentioned that he’s “not taking a discount” to sign long-term with the Rays, while also noting,

I don’t play this game for the money, but I don’t want to be under-appreciated. What I’ve done for this organization so far, I feel like I’ve helped this organization a great deal. So if they want to show me some appreciation, then fine.

Put it this way, I highly doubt that the Rays will be able to net enough money via the projected new revenue streams, and ticket sales, to keep Price here past the 2014 season. Many have speculated that this could be his last season with the Rays. Whatever the case, it’s all but certain that King Felix’s huge contract will have an impact on any contract talks between Price and the Rays, or any other team that may be looking to get their hands on the 2012 Cy Young Award winner. And though a long-term contract with Price may not surpass that of King Felix, whatever he may be seeking will likely be more than the Rays can dole out. In the words of a friend, “I’d say enjoy Price while he’s here and hope like hell the Rays can get some impact pieces in return for him before he hits free agency.”

Noteworthiness

If you missed our Links For Finks post, you missed the MLB 411 composite projections. You just may want to check that out.

Also, the Tampa Tribune published an article titled, Ybor City apartments pitched as Tampa Bay Rays stadium site in their February 21st issue. The author of the article asserts that the property in question, sandwiched between Ybor City and Downtown Tampa, addresess a number of issues the city has been dealing with for years in that neighborhood, such as blight and lack of economic growth. However, as Noah Pransky noted in his latest piece,

But before you waste too much time giving the proposal any credibility, realize a few things: